Man-made desert lake: Ecological paradise or disaster?

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Photos:Birdlife flocks to a man-made lake in the UAE's desert

A bird-watcher's paradise in the desert – A flock of coots take to the water of Lake Zakher in the remote deserts of the UAE.

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Photos:Birdlife flocks to a man-made lake in the UAE's desert

The raven – A brown-necked raven flies over the dunes. This picture, by UAE-based birdwatcher Huw Roberts, is part of his online resource WildlifeUAE, a project to catalog the biological diversity of the country.

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Photos:Birdlife flocks to a man-made lake in the UAE's desert

The accidental lake – Roberts says Lake Zakher, which emerged from the dunes as a result of wastewater dumping, is one of the UAE's best birdwatching spots.

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Photos:Birdlife flocks to a man-made lake in the UAE's desert

Bonelli's eagle – The majestic Bonelli's eagle in full flight.

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Photos:Birdlife flocks to a man-made lake in the UAE's desert

Taking a dip – The squacco heron breeds in southern Europe and the Middle East and winters in Africa.

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Photos:Birdlife flocks to a man-made lake in the UAE's desert

Teal in the sky – A flock of teal drawn to the waters of Lake Zakher. Ecologists consider the accidental lake an environmental disaster.

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Photos:Birdlife flocks to a man-made lake in the UAE's desert

Keeping in touch – A pair of black-winged stilts on the waters of Lake Zakher.

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Photos:Birdlife flocks to a man-made lake in the UAE's desert

A splash of color – The red spotted bluethroat stands out from the crowd.

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Photos:Birdlife flocks to a man-made lake in the UAE's desert

Camouflage – The Baluch ground gecko, on the other hand, blends in to its surroundings.

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Photos:Birdlife flocks to a man-made lake in the UAE's desert

Bringing water to the desert – Desalination plants like this in the UAE are needed to provide the country's water, but authorities want to encourage better use of recycled water and greater water conservation.

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Story highlights

A lake has emerged amid the sand dunes in the United Arab Emirates

It is a result of recycled waste water dumped from the UAE's water management system

It attracts a wide variety of wildlife, delighting birdwatchers

But desert ecologists consider the lake an environmental disaster

In a remote corner of the United Arab Emirates, a blue lake shimmers amid the sand dunes.

It's not a mirage, but a man-made oasis -- an unintended byproduct of the UAE's water management practices, which has sprung from the desert in recent years.

Opinion is divided over this unexpected phenomenon, known locally as Lake Zakher.

Huw Roberts is a university lecturer who has been an avid birdwatcher in the Gulf region for nearly two decades.

"This is one of the best sites in the UAE for birds," he said. "It's a good habitat for wintering birds and birds on passage."

To Roberts, Lake Zakher has reliably proved something of a birdwatcher's paradise, with herons, flamingos and stilts among the rich diversity of species drawn to this rare water source.

The lake is an industrial byproduct of the desalination system used to meet the UAE's water needs. With few sources of fresh water in the region, the country has relied on desalinating seawater for domestic use -- a technology that has been essential to the country's growth, according to advocates.

"Desalination started here 50 years ago," said Corrado Sommariva, president of the International Desalination Association. "There wouldn't be any development of the industry or society if there was no desalination."

The waste water is treated and just over half reused for industrial purposes, according Mohamed Al Madfaei, executive director at the Abu Dhabi Environmental Agency.

But the other 45% of recycled waste water was simply discharged at sea or released on to the land, where it had been pushing up groundwater levels, and eventually resulted in the creation of Lake Zakher.

Desalination has increased as the UAE's population has grown, bringing with it other unwanted environmental impacts. The process is energy-intensive, and releases brine into the surrounding ocean, which has the potential to harm marine life.

As a result, the government is encouraging people to reduce consumption, and put excess water to better use.

"People can reduce their water consumption, be more wise when it comes to water use," said Al Madfaei. "When washing your car, instead of using a hose, maybe use a bucket. When it comes to the agriculture sector... we are looking to reduce our consumption, and increasing the use of treated water in those areas as well."

It's an approach that will help improve the UAE's environmental sustainability, but could spell the end of the already shrinking Lake Zakher, to the dismay of Roberts and his fellow birdwatchers.

"I'd be very disappointed if Zakher Lake disappeared," said Roberts. "I'm hoping it doesn't."